Getting Low-Value Tasks Done

We are all faced with those little tasks that must be done but are considered low-valued ones. We know they are there, but we don’t get to them. The problems: these low-value tasks don’t go away; they can pile up; they may become stressors. What to do? Dories Clark, writing in the Harvard Business Review (February 14, 2017), suggested 3 strategies that can be implemented to help us make time for low-value tasks we tend not to get to.

1. Batch yourless important tasks and accomplish them in one fell swoop, creating a sense of momentum.

2. Identify small blocks of time in your schedule. This is typically 15 to 30 minutes each day. Match these blocks of time with low-value tasks that need to be accomplished.

3. Procrastinate strategically. You want to weigh the value of the opportunity cost of doing/not doing the task and set your timeliness for getting the work done.